Homecoming
by CaraMiaMilo
Summary: FUTURE FIC: What does Jess do after high school?


I really have to stop writing new stories and finish some old ones,   
but here's another part 1, inspired by my wondering what Jess would  
really do after high school...  
  
  
FUTURE FIC: Set five and a half years after Rory graduates   
from high school.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Part 1/?  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
Christmas, 2008  
  
Rory Gilmore was home for Christmas. Her job in New York, as an   
acquisitions editor at Doubleday, was interesting, but it was   
stressful, and she was glad for the opportunity to just hang out in   
Stars Hollow with her mother and be laid back for a change. She sat   
on a bench and pulled out a book, suddenly distracted by the arrival   
of the bus. She smiled a little, remembering all her trips to Chilton   
on that bus.   
  
A thin, wiry man disembarked, hitching a large olive green duffle bag   
higher onto his shoulder. Clad in close-fitting khakis and a worn   
denim jacket, with a faded leather fedora perched over his shaggy   
black hair, he looked familiar, but she couldn't quite see his   
features well enough to place him. She made a puzzled face and went   
back to her book.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Christmas, 2002  
  
Jess watched Rory and Dean kissing under the mistletoe and fingered   
the letter in his hands. He walked over to where his uncle was   
sitting in a straight chair next the wall. Luke looked bored,   
uncomfortable. Jess sat next to him and handed him the letter,   
silently. Luke read the first few paragraphs and stared at Jess.  
  
"Wow. When did you..."  
  
"Back in October. After Lorelai was quizzing me about college. You   
know I never planned on college, Luke."   
  
"Yeah, but this...they're sending you to Africa. That's a long way   
from home, Jess."  
  
"Just about far enough." Jess gave Luke a half-smile. "I'll miss you.   
I wouldn't be in the position to do this if it weren't for you. I'm  
graduating high school on time because you took me in."  
  
Luke shook his head and looked back at the letter. "I've never known   
anyone who actually joined the Peace Corps before. I'm really   
impressed. You know it'll be hard work."  
  
"Real hard. Did you read the second page? We'll be building a   
sanitation system for a village outside Nairobi. The lack of clean   
water is one of the biggest public health problems in sub-saharan   
Africa. It'll feel good to help with that. I have to get a shitload   
of shots, though."  
  
Jess was staring off toward the center of the meeting hall. Luke   
followed his gaze and saw Rory and Dean dancing and laughing.  
  
"Have you told Rory?"  
  
Jess shook his head. "I'll get around to it. Maybe the next time she   
gets on me about college." Jess stood up. "I think I'll go for a   
walk. Wanna come?"  
  
"Yeah, sure..."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
October 2003  
  
"Hey Uncle Luke" Jess's voice came in crackly through the phone line.   
The connections from Kenya were always bad.  
  
"Jess. How's it going?"  
  
"Pretty good. Living conditions suck." Luke could hear the laughter   
in Jess's voice. He sounded happy. "But it's gorgeous here. Un-  
fucking-believable."  
  
"You sound like you're glad to be there."  
  
"I am. That's actually why I called. I got your letter offering to   
buy me a ticket home for my time off at Christmas, but I was   
thinking, well, maybe you could come out here. We could go on safari   
or something."  
  
"Wow. You really want me to come visit you?"  
  
"Yeah. It's incredible, Luke. I really want you to see it."   
  
"I'll look into a ticket tomorrow. When should I get there?"  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Christmas 2004  
  
"Hey Uncle Luke. Merry Christmas!"  
  
"Merry Christmas, Jess. Where are you? This connection is better than   
usual."  
  
"I'm at Cherie's house in Johannesburg. She wouldn't hear of my   
spending Christmas alone, so I'm here with her family. She's got five   
older brothers and sisters; this place is swarming with little kids.   
And they're all high on Santa. I'm longing for the savannah, I tell   
you." Luke could hear the laughter in Jess's voice.   
  
"I can't believe you've been out there a year and a half."  
  
"Me either. Long time not to set foot on American soil. Speaking of, you   
still thinking about coming out again in March for my furlough?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind it. You'll be home again in six months; I should get   
in another visit before the chance is up."  
  
"Well, about my coming home..."  
  
"You're not coming home?"  
  
"I was thinking...you know how I've been doing some writing for the   
journalism Corps? Well, our editor...he teaches in this certification   
program at the University of Nairobi, sort of a boot camp for foreign   
correspondants. I could keep my job with the Corps but I'd be   
stationed in Nairobi, and I'd be staff rather than a Volunteer.   
They'd pay for me to go. It's a good opportunity. I think it's what I   
want to do."  
  
"Sounds like a great opportunity, Jess. I think you should go for it.   
Looks like you may never get back to Stars Hollow."  
  
"Looks that way. I'm sorry I didn't make it home for Christmas. I   
really was planning to this year..."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
April 2006  
  
"Hey, Uncle Luke." Jess's voice sounded weak.  
  
"Hey Jess. You okay?"  
  
"Nah, I'm sick. Got some sort of parasite. They took me to the   
hospital and I spent last night being observed. Sorry I missed your   
call."  
  
"Parasite, huh? Disgusting."  
  
"Yeah, I thought I might have picked it up when we were in India. Did   
you feel sick or anything?"  
  
"No, but you know our resistances are different."  
  
"It's almost three years since I've been stateside."  
  
"That, and the way you eat...I got a whole bunch of vaccinations before   
I left too. Maybe you missed something."  
  
"I probably just drank the water or something. Anyway, I feel lousy,  
and African hospitals suck beyond belief, but I'm feeling better.   
I've got another couple days off and I'm just going to sleep."  
  
"Sounds good. You'll call me tomorrow and let me know how you're   
feeling?"  
  
"Yeah. Will do. Seems to just make me really tired..."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
Thanksgiving 2007  
  
"Hey Luke."  
  
"Jess. How's the weather out there?"  
  
"Hot. Bring cool clothes."  
  
"Will do."  
  
"Actually, I was calling to see if you still have that layover in   
Cairo; Ben's trying to get me to go up there and help him with some   
electrical problems in their computer lab, so I was thinking I'd try   
to arrange it where I could just meet you up there. We could take a   
couple of days and see the Pyramids, then fly back here together."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds great. Lemme get my ticket and give you the   
details..."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
Christmas 2008  
  
Jess opened the door to the diner and walked in. He set his duffle   
bag by the door and laid the fedora on top of it, then looked around,   
smiling. Lorelai was sitting at the counter, finishing off a mug of   
coffee. He leaned against the door and waited for his uncle to appear   
from the kitchen.   
  
Luke was moving through the kitchen door when he saw the young man   
standing in the diner entrance, smiling. He froze, then grinned. "Oh   
my God." Luke almost ran around the counter, startling Lorelai.   
  
"Whoa, Luke moves fast. What..."  
  
But the usually undemonstrative Luke was embracing a stranger just   
inside the door of the diner, lifting the smaller man off the   
floor. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" Luke caught the   
younger man in a headlock and ruffled his hair. "Jeez, kid, it's good   
to see you. Have you seen anyone else?"  
  
"No, I came straight here. You got a bed for a wandering stranger?"  
  
"Your room's just like you left it."  
  
Jess and Luke had walked over to the counter where Lorelai was   
sitting.   
  
"Hi Lorelai." Jess stuck out his hand and she shook it.  
  
"Jess. I wouldn't have recognized you."  
  
Jess ran his hands through his hair and gave an awkward smile. "Yeah,   
well, it's been a long time."  
  
"That it has. More than five years."  
  
"Town still looks the same. I was kind of afraid it wouldn't."  
  
"You know, Rory's in town for the holiday as well."  
  
Jess's smile faded a bit. "I hope I'll see her."  
  
"She'd like that."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
Luke interrupted them. "Jess, why are you here? I'm glad you're here,   
don't get me wrong, but you don't just drop in to Connecticut when   
you live in Kenya."  
  
"Actually, I had a job interview. At the UN press corps. I'm thinking   
of moving back, trying to transfer my credits somewhere, maybe get a   
real American degree. I fly back to Nairobi on the 2nd, but I might   
be back in the States as soon as mid-February, depending on how much   
bureaucracy there is."   
  
The door to the diner opened and they all turned to see who was   
coming in. Rory walked through the door, her nose buried in her   
book. Jess stood and watched her, his eyes washing over her eagerly,   
as if to memorize her shape. She walked toward her mother, still   
reading, not noticing Jess. When she was only about a foot away, she   
looked up from the book to see her mother and Luke staring at her.   
  
"What?..." And then she saw the stranger from the bus, half-smiling   
at her, and she froze. The book dropped to the floor.   
  
"Jess?"  
  
"Hi Rory." He reached out his hand and then she was in his arms,   
laughing and crying and holding him as tightly as she could. It felt   
good to be home. 


End file.
